Electric can opener



Y l, 1944. T LELAND ELECTRIC GAN OPENER s sheets-sheet 1 fill V luluu' Inventor Filed June 26,` 1945 lTd Lezaab 1 39 WWW Feb.1,1944, T LAND 2,340,541

n ELECTRIC CAN QPENER Y Filed Juneze.' 1945 s Sheets-sheet 2 54 57 bvwentor By? @Mm A ttomeys Feb. 1, 1944. T ELAND 2,340,541

ELECTRIC CAN OPENER Filed June 2e, 194s s Sheets-sheet s mmm@ ' Pareorea Feb. 1V, 1944 l 2,340,541

'ting' cans to be opened 'inanjalio'steioiftles UNITED STATES A 2341'1254'1-3 f 5 niincrnrc oriiiixia; Tedlrelandrortscreveni Gan-" assiifionofiforti n 'I .eladrsacralneruo-- eminenti-eri June ze; 19213, seriall This invention relatesrenew aotnfat .'b 'shift'lever'z'zkiihesh its 2li.l`

provements in can opriersand o ordis" adapted to rneshfwlth to openers ofthe power driven 1` 5' The princi Ibbjectfof thel esenti inventive is to provide a motor Vdriven ca n'o'penerwhereiil the operation is substantiall'yf'atomatic; :permit-ff Aan locatedwithinthe box 1;;

manner- Another important object of the invention is Y "meshingewithfafgear2li` located on the'ljshait 9.v

t provide a machine in the character stated 10 1Viithinfthey bo'x1`8 anden vthe shaft 91s ag'ea'r ing description.

which is of simple construction-"positive acting 29 rvv'hicllfmeshes with apair of gears 30,l 3i) ylo and not susceptible to the ready development of y cated on sleeves3l, 3|, which are freely rotatable arr 'd :hythe esperen@ of-fqihe f 'end tif"the armati1re' shaft cil' the f 'ea ieie 4agear 2 5 `whieh meshes with a. relocated ohja shaftzl which extends into j the searboxfand nasa second wormthereo defects. Y f onthe upperends f a `p airfshafts 32,V 3 2., Other objects andadvantagesof the invention each of these shafts .32 having a, longitudinally will heroine apparent to the reader of the -ioiiow-` l extdilnssroove therein. e

' Dependingfroin the forward side of the box B In the drawings: is Va cutter blade 34.. Figure 1 represents a front elevational view of The' s 1eeves3l have gears 35 which mesh with the can opening machine with portions in section. -wcr'hl sears 35, which in. v1211111 'are lacets@ 0n Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view through the en 's hbrt shafts A3l 'carrying' drive rollers 38.' These machine. drive rllersfare vintended to 'engage the upper Figure 3 is a fragmentary' vertical sectional view v;l`39rtion .of a can to rotate the can while the blade through the clutch means. f v34 i s oi1eni r1ig1 the same.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the device.

Figure 5 is another cross-sectional view iooke5 in brlelmes in Fieurez, 'a pair of ueshapen F' 'r hoieingrhe lower portion of the een, shownv ing upwardly toward iheeniter. arms 39. 3%e'reenihioyedeaohhaving a freely Figure 6 is a sectional view` through the rack f rotatable rroller 40 thereon. Eachof these arms and gear mechanism 3 9 iS Sfpled rl0 the (itlieSp0hdl'ligvl` Shaft 32 and Figure 7 is a detailed Sectional View through the straddles theaforementioned clutch unit I0. This roller drive means, :lutch uhil cOllSiSirS f fse 4| in which is Figure 8 is an elevational view showing the al vertically rilevabile shell I2 havinga conical seat bau raoeway and the bans therein.- therein against which a f isto-ccnial shaped nut Figure e is an enlargeduetailed seoii'onalview can bind'.l The 'shelin has a ystub u prothrough the ball raceway showing one of the jecting laterally therefrom ad carries a tapered tapered slots and the companion ball. T o llelf ithe Stub 44 Drtidi lhbueh a verti- Referring to the drawings wherein like 111.1`` 031581013 inthe caselle merals designate like parts, it can be Vseen that In the lower portieri of the `case 4I are roller the device includes an upper wall plate 5 which efiligs 241 against which the IWi 'ed 0f the has openings s therein thronghwhioh suiiableseriutl 43 an ride The ripper end of the uut 43 curing means can be disposed for securing the 46 rides-against the bali bearings 48 which ride in plate in place. At the upper and lower portions talr'd E'QOVBS 49 lfdld i 3 Yieldably SUP- of the plate 5 are gear boxes 1, 3, and a shaft ported ring 50. l

3 is disposed vertically through these boxes 1, B A SP'rl'g 5| S'ifYeS to rge the ring' dowr'iwardlyy and extends downwardly through a clutch ugn'gthe balls d'8 against the hut 43. A strane generally referred to by numeral Ille into athird 'c'oipressible sprihs'Z serves to hold the shell l2' gear box Il located a substantial vdistance below in elevated position as .`-il`1''g"ested in Fg'l'ire 3, that" the gear box s. is, this spring v52 serves to hola the' shells: sh f A bracket I2 extends outwardlvfrom the plate' on the hut 43, in order that there will be a dritt1E 5 and supports an electric motor I3 which has ing' connection between 'the screw shaft 9 'and the gear boxes I4, l5 at the upperand lower ends v5() aseL V thereof and into which the armatureehaft vof the In the lowerhiosi ease i i terminates the lower motor la extends. The upper end of rhe anna-V ends of the ehaftss, 32, '32. the shaft s having ture shaft of the motor has a pair or Ygears I6, va pair of gears v53, 5L meshing with the gears, I1. which are adapted to b'e meshedby 'worins 56. on the shafts 32e 32, and-morder to have the I8, I9, carried by shafts 20, 2| respectively, which 55 shaft 32 rotating iii a* direction obposite to the other shaft 32, a rack 51, as shown in Figures 1 and 6, operating against guides 58 serve to impart rotation to the gear 56 for rotating the co:- responding shaft 32 oppositely from the shaft 32 with which the gear 53 meshes. 'Ihe gears 53, 54 are integrally connected and idle on the shaft 9. A spring 59 serves to urge the gears 56 and gear 55 in a direction to pull the arms 39, 39 together and thusly hold a can in an upright position.

In operating themachine, a -canis setrupon the rollers 40 and the machine is started. The

shaft 9 rotates, and the screw portion of the shaft 9 feeds the unit I0 upwardly as the arms 39. 39v

a knife against which a can is forced by can carrying means of the clutch, drive rollers adjacent the cutter blade, against which the can can abut and offer resistance to disconnect the clutch from the screw shaft. said can holding means on the clutch unit comprising a pair of swingable arms, can engaging rollers secured by the arms and means for swinging the arms in unison toward a can to be held. Y

3. A canropener comprising an electric motor, a screw shaft, a clutch unit carried by the screw shaft, a can supporting means on the clutch unit,

` a knife against which a can is forced by can are brought together for properly holding a can by the rollers 40, this action of the arms- 39,V f

39 being responsive to the action ofv the`V gears 53, 53, 54, 5B and the rack 51. As the can moves upwardly it will engage the opener 34 which will penetrate the can, the can will subsequently engage the uppermost rollers 38, whereupon resistance will be offered .to the clutch unit I0, this resulting in the pushing downwardly on the shell 42, thusv disconnecting the shell 42 from the nut 43, against the action'of the spring 52, this disconnecting the screw shaft 9 from the unit I0. The can is now being h eld by the upper and lower rollers 38, 40, aswell as the roller 45 and the can is being rotated by the upper drive rollers 38 against the action of the blade 34.'v

While the foregoing specification sets forth the invention, in specific terms; it is to beunderstood that numerous changes in the shape,'size, and materials may be resorted to without departing from the spirit andv scopeof the invention as claimed hereinafter. L i u Having described the invention, what is claimed Vas new is:

1. A can `opener comprising 'anelectricmoton ascrew shaft, a clutch unit carried by the screw shaft, a can supporting means on the clutch unit, a knife against which a can is forced by can carrying means of the clutch, drive rollers adjacent the cutter blade, against which the can can abut and offer resistance to disconnect the clutch from the screw shaft.

' 2. A can opener comprising'an electric motor,

' ascrew shaft, a clutch unit carried by the screw shaft, a can supportingmeans on the clutch unit,

`carrying means of the clutch, drive rollers adjacent the cutter blade, against'which the can can abut and offer resistance to disconnect the clutch from the screw shaft, said can holding means on Vthe clutch unit comprising a pair of swingable Y arms, can engaging rollers secured by the arms and means for swinging the arms in unison toward a can to be held, and means for swinging said arm'to an'open position to release a can.

V4. A can opener comprising an electric motor,

a screw shaft, clutch unitcarried by the screw shaft, a can supporting means on the clutch unit, a'vknife against which'a can is forced by can carryingmeans of therclutch, drive rollers adjacent the cutter blade, against which the can can abut and offer resistance to disconnect the clutch from the screw shaft, anddrive means between the shaft and the said drive rollers.

5. A can openercomprising an electric motor, a screw shaft, Aclutch unit carried by the screw shaft, a can supporting means on the clutch unit, a knife against whicha can is forced by can carrying means ofthe clutch, driverollers adjacent the cutter blade, against which the can can abut and offer resistance to disconnect the clutch fromthe screw shaft, said clutch unit consisting of a case, aftapered -shell in the case having a member projecting therefrom and provided with a can engageable roller, and a nut on the screw shaft of tapered shape and on which the said shell is slidable to engaged or disengaged posi- Ytion for positivelyconnecting 0r disconnecting TED LELAND. 

